He Makes Me Laugh
by Jamy-Peraltiago
Summary: A series of one-shots about Jake and Amy.
1. Who Cooks

_**Who cooks**_

"Why would you agree to host Thanksgiving dinner? Do you remember what happened two years ago? If I recall, you substituted baking soda for salt in your mashed potatoes."

"Shut up. You weren't even there," Amy retaliated, slapping her boyfriend on the shoulder.

"Well, I might not have been there to suffer through that dinner, but I have had to suffer through some of your other attempts at cooking," Jake said with a smirk. "Honey, I love you. You're a great detective and amazing at so many things, but cooking is not one of them. Just face it, you can't cook."

"Well you're one to talk, Mr. I'll-just-call-for-take-out-and-pretend-that-I-really-cooked-it."

"Okay, that's different."

"How so?"

"First of all, I didn't realize you knew I did that. Second of all, I do that because I'm lazy, not because I can't cook."

"You can't cook," Amy stated back to him. "Our meals at home consist entirely of take-out, sandwiches and frozen dinners. Hate to break it to you babe, but you can't cook."

"Oh, I can absolutely cook," Jake stated confidently, his competitive side coming through.

"Well then, if you're so confident, prove it. Cook Thanksgiving dinner," Amy challenged.

"Fine I will." He looked up at Amy who was failing at hiding her laughter.

"That was too easy," she teased.

"Damn it," Jake said, cursing his and Amy's competitive nature. He loved that Amy was just as competitive as he was, but far too often it got him into trouble.

"I can't believe I got you to agree to make Thanksgiving dinner for the precinct. Well, actually, I can believe it," Amy smirked.

"You're lucky you're cute," Jake said before wrapping his arms around her and pulling her in for a kiss.


	2. Who Does the Laundry and Other Chores

_**Who does the laundry and other chores:**_

It was no secret that Amy Santiago liked things clean and tidy. She always washed the dishes right after using them, she ironed and hung up her clothes as soon as they came out of the dryer, and she spent an hour every Sunday night vacuuming and dusting so that she could get a fresh start on the week.

Jake Peralta, on the other hand, was lazy and messy. He ate right out of the take-out container or the frozen dinner dish as to avoid having to do any dishes, he kept his clothes in two piles; clean and dirty, and he thought that he could get away with not cleaning his apartment because of how small it was.

...

Before they even start dating officially, their dish washing practices change.

After kissing in the evidence locker, Jake and Amy had been spending a few nights a week watching movies and figuring out their relationship. They would leave work, grab some take-out and a six pack of beer, and head to Amy's apartment. Amy refused to eat out of the take-out containers, pulling out plates and real silverware for them to eat. Once they were finished eating, she insisted on pausing the movie so that she could wash the dishes.

Of course, Jake could not pass up the opportunity to tease her about it.

"I knew you were a little OCD, but I didn't know it was this bad, " Jake said as Amy got up to wash the dishes their first night hanging out.

"I do not have OCD," she argued.

"Ames, you can't even let the dishes wait in the sink for half an hour. You have a problem."

"Cleanliness is not a problem."

"Of course it's not," Jake said, wiping the smirk off his face when he saw Amy glaring at him, unamused. "Well at least let me help."

"Oh… um...well thats nice but you don't need to -"

"Jeez Ames, let me help," he insisted, picking up a dish towel to dry the dishes.

"Thanks," Amy smiled up at Jake.

It continued that way every time they hung out. After eating, Amy would pause the movie and she and Jake would do the dishes before returning to their movie.

After a couple of weeks of hanging out, Amy finally agreed to watch _Die Hard_ , Jake's favorite movie. She hated it, but was willing to watch it to make Jake happy. Amy couldn't help but keep glancing at Jake as he watched, noticing how much he loved the movie.

"Why do you keep staring at me? You're missing the movie," Jake said, glancing back and forth between Amy and the movie.

"You really love this movie," Amy said.

"Yeah, well how could you not? Oh this is a great scene" Jake commented, a huge grin spreading across his face as he sat on the edge of his seat.

But Amy couldn't stop staring at Jake, butterflies in her stomach, her heart swooning.

"Seriously Ames, watch this," Jake said, turning to look at Amy. He stopped talking when he noticed how she was looking at him.

"Jake..." Amy said, leaning in to him. Jake closed the distance between them, kissing her.

It was the first time they had kissed since the evidence locker. Unlike the last time though, there was a fiery passion between the two. Amy ran her hands through Jake's hair as he grabbed her waist and pulled her closer into him. She quietly moaned as Jake traced his tongue along her bottom lip. Feeling the urge to be closer to Jake, Amy pushed him into the back of the couch as she straddled him. Jake let out a groan as Amy grinded into him. Briefly breaking their kiss, Amy leaned back a bit so that she could unbutton Jake's shirt. As she pushed his shirt off his shoulders, Jake leaned back in for a kiss, desperate to taste her lips again. Amy felt him grab the bottom of her shirt, lifting it up as he moved his hands up her stomach to her chest. Amy grinded into him again as Jake began massaging her left breast under her bra. Breaking away from his lips once again, Amy kissed his jaw and his neck.

"Amy," Jake growled, his hand leaving her chest and moving down to her ass, cupping it before wrapping his arms around her waist and standing up. Amy wrapped her arms around his neck and went back to kissing him passionately on the lips. As Amy's tongue pushed between Jake's lips, she felt him stumble slightly. She smiled, realizing she had made him go weak at the knees. He quickly reagined his composure before walking down the hall to Amy's bedroom. Jake dropped Amy down onto her bed. She pulled her shirt off and threw it to the side sliding back to the pillows. Jake climbed on to the bed, crawling to meet Amy at the head of her bed. Amy reached her hands out, grasping at his waist to bring him in closer.

"Wait," Jake said, stopping and kneeling before her. "We forgot to do the dishes."

"Really, Jake? It can wait."

"Did Amy Santiago really just say the dishes can wait?" Jake teased.

"Shut up, Peralta," Amy laughed as she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him back down to her.

When Amy woke up in the morning to Jake planting kisses on her shoulders, she couldn't help but smile as she felt Jake's strong arms wrapped around her waist, and thought back to the previous night. She turned around so that she could look him in the eyes.

"Good morning," she said, planting a kiss on his lips.

After a few minutes, Amy broke away from the kiss. "We didn't do the dishes last night."

"Don't worry about it. I got up in the middle of the night and did them."

Amy couldn't help but smile as she returned to kissing Jake.

From then on, Amy was more lenient about doing the dishes and Jake was more willing to wash the dishes, occasionally using real dishes in his own apartment and washing them.

…

A couple of months into their relationship, Jake folded laundry for the first time.

It was a Tuesday night and Jake was stuck working a case. Amy was doing laundry and watching TV while she waited for Jake to come over. She had one load in the dryer and was in the middle of folding another load, when her phone rang. Amy looked down to see that her mother was calling her.

"Hi Mom," Amy answered, distracted.

"Amy…" her mom quietly sobbed. Immediately, Amy's heart dropped. If her mother, a strong, confident woman, was calling Amy in tears, something terrible must have happened.

"What happened mom?" Amy asked, placing all her attention on her mother.

"Your father has had a heart attack. We're in the hospital, they just took him into surgery."

"What hospital are you at? I'm on my way." Amy said, grabbing her keys and rushing out the door, abandoning her laundry. She called Jake as she climbed into the car. Not surprised that he didn't pick up, she left him a voicemail, letting him know what happened.

Amy arrived at the hospital and was embraced by her mother and her three brothers who still lived close to home. Amy could tell her mother had been crying and it broke her heart. She hated seeing her mother like this, weak and vulnerable.

"Dad's still in surgery. It's going to be a few more hours," Jeff, Amy's oldest brother, informed her.

Amy quietly took a seat with her mom and brothers. She was nervous, unable to keep her leg from shaking. She was still in shock that her healthy father had had a heart attack. She remembered how when she was little, she thought her father was invincible. He was like a superhero, never getting injured or sick. But, to think of him now, lying open and exposed on the operating table, made her uncomfortable. She could feel her eyes welling up with tears and, too exhausted to fight to hold them back, allowed herself to silently cry.

"He's going to be ok Amy," Tom, the brother closest in age to Amy, reassured her, patting her on the back.

Amy wiped away the tears in her eyes and smiled up at her big brother, still too upset to speak. Amy continued to sit in silence with her mother and brothers, waiting for some news about her father.

"Santiago. S-A-N-T-I-A-G-O," Amy heard a familiar voice at the desk asking about her father.

"Jake?" she said looking up.

"Oh, I found them," Jake said to the nurse he had been talking to.

"What are you doing here?" Amy asked, running towards Jake and throwing herself into his open arms. She instantly felt comforted in Jake's strong arms.

"I got your message and came right away," Jake said, rubbing her back.

"What about your case?" she asked, nuzzling into Jake's chest.

"Boyle took over for me. How's your dad?"

It had been an hour since Amy had arrived at the hospital and she realized that no doctor had been by to update her family. She didn't know if that was a good thing or not.

"We haven't had any updates yet," Amy said.

"Jake, it's nice to see you again so soon, although I wish it were under better circumstances," Amy's mom interjected. Amy had brought Jake home for the first time a couple of weeks ago for her family's annual 4th of July barbecue. It had been the first time that she had introduced Jake to her parents. Jake had hit it off well with her parents and brothers and Amy had been looking forward to bringing Jake home again. She never imagined that the next time Jake would see her family would be at the hospital.

"I just wanted to be here to support Amy, " Jake said, releasing Amy from his hug. Unwilling to let him go, Amy wrapped an arm around Jake's waist, smiling into into his chest as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder, pulling him into his side.

"Well its nice to have you here," Amy's mom smiled at Jake, patting him on the arm.

Jake led Amy back to the seats in the waiting room, keeping his arm around her. They sat in silence, patiently waiting to hear some news about her father. Eventually, Amy fell asleep as Jake rubbed her arm, trying to comfort her.

"Mrs. Santiago," Amy heard as Jake gently shook her awake. Amy rubbed her eyes and looked over to see the doctor addressing her mother. "You're husband is out of surgery. We'll need to keep a close eye on him for a few days, but we expect him to make a full recovery. He's still asleep, but you can go see him."

Amy's mom and brothers followed the doctor to her father's room, but Amy sat frozen in her seat.

"Aren't you going to see your dad?" Jake asked.

"I'm scared," Amy confessed. "I don't want to see my dad, my hero, vulnerable and lying in a hospital bed, hooked up to machines after having a heart attack."

Amy realized this was some heavy stuff to admit after only a couple months of dating. For a second, she worried that she was overwhelming Jake with how much she was opening up to him. She was relieved when he pulled her into a hug, seemingly unfazed by her confession.

"That's understandable," Jake reassured her, releasing her from the hug, but still holding onto her arms, looking her in the eyes. "No one wants to see their parent like this. You just need to be strong. There's no easy way to put it. On the bright side though, the doctor said your dad is going to be ok."

"Thanks Jake. I feel a little better," Amy said, giving him a weak smile.

"Anything to help," Jake smiled back.

"Actually, you know what would be really helpful? Would you mind driving back to the city and getting my glasses," Amy asked. She had fallen asleep in her contacts and now her eyes were hurting. She also noticed for the first time what she was wearing. She had left the house in such a hurry that she forgot she had been wearing an old pair of cutoff shorts and a stained t-shirt. Also in her rush, she had put on two different shoes, her black Converse All Star on her left foot, her red Toms on her right. "And I could also use a change of clothes and a pair of shoes that match," she laughed.

"Yeah, I didn't want to say anything but you look ridiculous," Jake laughed. "Of course I can do that for you."

"Here, take my extra keys." Amy dug into her bag and pulled out her extra set of house keys and handed them to Jake.

"Can I take your car too? The Sarge drove me here."

"Yeah, of course," she said, handing him her car keys too.

"I'll be back in a few hours," he said, kissing her on the forehead as he stood up and headed out of the hospital.

Taking a deep breath, Amy stood up and headed down the hall to see her dad.

Jake arrived back a few hours later with a change of clothes for Amy, the two shoes that matched the ones she was wearing, her glasses, and enough fast food and coffee for Amy's mother and brothers. Amy and her brothers were in the waiting room. Her father had woken up an hour ago and fifteen minutes ago, her brothers and her left the room to give their parents some time alone.

"How is he?" Jake asked, hugging Amy while her brothers fought over the food.

"He's going to be ok. But, we want to spend the day here while he recovers," she said, returning the hug. "Thanks for being here Jake."

Jake spent the rest of the day with Amy and her family, doing whatever he could to offer his support. By 9:00pm, Amy's father had fallen asleep for the night and Amy was ready to go home. She kissed her mother goodbye, promising to come back on Saturday, her day off, to help move her father back home. Jake took her hand, leading her out to her car.

After an hour of driving, they finally returned back in Brooklyn. Exhausted, Amy followed Jake into her apartment. She was surprised to find the laundry she abandoned neatly folded and sitting on her couch.

"You folded my laundry?" Amy asked, touched.

"Yeah, well I know how much you hate leaving your clothes unfolded,,,I just figured it was the least I could do."

"Thanks Jake," she said, hugging him.

"Oh, here's your extra key back," Jake said, once she had pulled away. He reached into his pocket to pull out her key and held it out to her.

"Keep it," Amy smiled.

"Are you sure?

"Yeah Jake. You're here so much anyway, it would be easier if you just had your own key. And, how else are you going to get into my apartment to fold my laundry?" she teased.

"Haha," he laughed as he bent down and kissed her.

All joking aside, he did occasionally stop by her apartment when she was working late on a case and do her laundry for her.

…

Six months into their relationship, Jake's apartment was clean for the first time.

Amy and Jake were sitting at their desks working on cases and Amy could feel Jake's eyes on her.

"Hey Amy, do you mind if we go to my place tonight?"

Amy looked up at Jake, noticing that he was looking nervous.

"Umm, sure," Amy said. Although she didn't want to go to his apartment, she didn't want to argue him on it. Amy hated Jake's small apartment. True, she hadn't been there since it was Gina's apartment, but she refused to spend time there, always insisting that Jake come to her place to hang out or spend the night. She felt a little bad about making Jake always come to her place, but he never complained or seemed to mind always going to Amy's. He was always so nice, agreeing to go to her place, that she thought she needed to return the favor.

"Thanks, I owe you," Jake said smiling, a look of relief washing over his face.

As her shift ended and Amy finished up her paperwork, she looked up to see Jake waiting for her.

"Ready?" he asked, holding his hand out to her.

"Ready," Amy said, linking her fingers through his.

"So I have to be honest," Jake said as they walked into the elevator. "My mom is stopping by for dinner tonight and I want you to come over to meet her."

Amy looked up at Jake who was looking nervously at her.

"You want me to meet your mom?" Amy asked, a little surprised, but also touched. Although Amy had briefly met Jake's dad a several months earlier, and she had introduced him to her parents and brothers at her family's annual 4th of July barbecue, she had yet to meet his mom.

"Yeah" Jake hesitantly responded.

Amy reached up and kissed him softly on the cheek. "I'd love to meet your mom."

"Awesome," Jake said, throwing his arm around her shoulder as the elevator doors opened and they walked out of the precinct.

Considering the state of his desk and locker at work, Amy assumed that Jake's apartment would be a little messy. She was shocked to find that it was worse than she imagined. The door could barely open due to the copious amounts of boxes that were piled up, the parts of the coffee table that weren't littered with newspapers and magazines were stained with rings of coffee, dust bunnies peeked out from beneath the couch, and a weird odor was coming from the kitchen.

"Jake," Amy screeched."You can't have your mom here with your apartment looking like this."

"I guess I've been spending so much time at your place that I forgot how bad I had let my place get," Jake said shamefully.

"How long until you're mom's supposed to get here?"

Jake looked down at his watch. "She'll be here in an hour."

"Oh my God. Well, we better get to work."

It was a miracle, but Amy was able to make Jake's apartment look presentable. When Jake's mom arrived, it was obvious she was surprised to find Jake's apartment looking clean.

"Really, Jake? You had your girlfriend clean your apartment," she asked after Jake introduced her to Amy.

"Amy did not clean my apartment...yeah she did," Jake admitted as his mom gave him a look of disbelief.

"Don't let her go Jakey, she's a good one," Jake's mom said to him, pecking him on the cheek, as she got ready to leave after a pleasant dinner.

"Yes mom," Jake chuckled, turning to Amy and giving her a wink.

"It was a pleasure meeting you darling," Jake's mom said, pulling Amy in for a hug.

"It was great meeting you too," Amy replied, as his mom let go and she felt Jake's arms wrap around her waist.

"Bye mom," Jake said as his mom walked out of the door.

"You know Jake," Amy said, turning around in Jake's arms so that she could look him in the eyes, "I have an idea about how we can keep your apartment clean."

"Oh really?" Jake looked amused.

"Why don't you just move in with me?" Amy waited, watching Jake's reaction.

"Are you being serious?" he asked.

"Well I don't want to have to clean two apartments. And anyway, like you said, you spend so much time at my place anyway, doesn't it just make sense for you to move in?"

"Yeah, it does," Jake said smiling, leaning down to kiss Amy.

"So we're doing this, we're moving in together?" Amy asked.

"Yeah we are! And I promise, I'll help you clean."

"Yeah, I'll believe it when I see it," Amy laughed, pulling Jake in for a kiss.

"Hey, since I started dating you, I have started doing dishes and folding laundry. If I can do that, I can vacuum and dust occasionally."

After a year of living together, while Amy could count on Jake to do the dishes and the laundry, she learned to stop expecting him to dust or vacuum. Somehow though, she was okay with that.


	3. How Many Children Do They Have

_**How many children do they have**_

The clock on the night stand read 5:57am, as Jake shuffled into the bedroom, pulling off his shoes and clothes as he made his way towards the bed. He was just coming off the night shift from hell and all he wanted was to sleep for the next 24 hours. His head barely hit the pillow before the alarm started going off.

"No," he cried.

"Yes," he heard his wife saying from her side of the bed.

He turned his head so he could look at her. "How long have you been awake?"

"I woke up as I heard you come in the front door."

"I'm sorry, I was trying to be quiet."

"You were quiet. I just was sleeping lightly," Amy said as she moved up onto her elbow so she could get a better look at her husband.

"Mhm..." Jake murmured as he started drifting off to sleep.

"Jake, you can't sleep yet, you need to take the boys to school. Also, you have off today which means you are staying home with Maddie and Zach," Amy said, shaking him to wake him up.

As much as he loved his kids, the thought of staying home with a three year old and a two year old on just a few hours of sleep was not appealing to Jake. "I just need some sleep. How about you drop Seth and Caleb off at school, take Madeline and Zachary with you, and then drop them back off here before you go into work. That's three hours. It should be enough sleep for me until Maddie and Zach's nap."

"Sorry babe but I can't, I have a doctor's appointment before work this morning."

"Mhm…" Jake replied, drifting back off to sleep.

"Seriously, Jacob Peralta, get up now," Amy raised her voice slightly, gently slapping his head to wake him up.

"I'm up, I'm up," he said sitting up, rubbing his eyes and fighting back a yawn.

"Come on babe, let me show you how much I appreciate all that you do for me and the kids," Amy said, grabbing his hand and lifting him out of bed, pulling him into the bathroom.

"You know, I really do do a lot for you," Jake replied using his sexy voice, watching his wife as she walked into the shower.

" I know. And I really, really appreciate it." Amy pulled her nightgown off and threw it at Jake, winking at him as she gestured for him to join her in the shower.

...

Twelve hours later, Amy returned home, exhausted, to find her husband passed out on the couch, their daughter sleeping on his chest. The baby quietly played in his playpen, and their two older sons were fighting over a game of candyland, while cartoons blasted on the TV. She stood in the doorway for a minute, taking in the scene. Amy couldn't help but smile to herself as she watched her family.

"Mommy!" Seth yelled as he spotted his mother, running to give her a hug, his little brother not far behind him.

"Hi babies, how was your day?" she asked, hugging them before picking Zach up out of his playpen and giving him a big kiss on the cheek.

"It was great," Seth said as he began to fill Amy in on the first grade gossip, following her into the kitchen.

"Did you have dinner?" Amy asked, putting Zach down in his booster seat.

"No, Daddy said we had to wait for you," Seth said.

"Of course he did. Caleb, go wake up Daddy," Amy said as she opened up the freezer, searching for something she could feed the kids. It had been a long day and Amy did not have the energy to put together a healthy meal for her kids and husband. Amy pulled out a frozen pizza and frozen mozzarella sticks, deciding that this would have to be good enough for tonight. Amy could hear her sons resuming their argument in the living room. She preheated the oven as her husband walked into the kitchen, carrying Maddie who was still asleep. She smiled at him, hoping he could understand just how grateful she was for him.

"Ames, I'm so sorry," Jake apologized to his wife for not making dinner. "But, did you remember that Seth and Caleb had little league this afternoon? Because they did. Also, Maddie refused to take her nap this afternoon. Instead, we had a tea party."

Amy apologetically frowned. She could hear the subtle sarcasm in her husband's voice and felt guilty that he had to deal with such a long, busy day. She had forgotten that today was Thursday, the day the boys had baseball. Also, she probably should have warned Jake that Maddie went to bed late last night, meaning that she wouldn't take her nap. Amy felt incredibly bad for forgetting and putting her husband through this long day with no sleep.

"You are going to need to make this up to me," Jake yawned. "And it's going to take more than a blowjob in the shower to make it up to me," Jake said, covering his daughter's ears, even though she was still fast asleep on his shoulder.

"Of course," Amy said, standing on her tip toes to kiss Jake.

"Well, just think, we only have sixteen more years. Sixteen years and then we'll have a quiet empty nest again, with no kids to take care of," Jake raised his voice as their sons argument moved from the living room into the kitchen.

"Eighteen years," Amy replied quietly.

"Honey, I know its been a long day, but Zach is two," Jake explained patiently, "Sixteen years until we have an empty nest."

"No Jake," Amy said slowly. "It's going to be eighteen years before we have an empty nest."

Amy watched as her husband smiled, finally understanding the news that she was sharing.


	4. Their Favorite Place to be Together

_**Their favorite place to be together:**_

The sun creeps in through the shades in Amy's bedroom as Jake slowly wakes up. Amy is laying on top of him, one hand placed on his chest, the other grabbing his arm, their legs entangled. He has one hand on her back, the other cradles the back of her head. He takes a deep breath and is intoxicated by the smell of her flowery shampoo.

He smiles as he thinks about how they ended up in this position. It was a quiet night in at Amy's. They ordered a pizza and watched a movie, cuddled up on the couch, like they often did after a long week at the precinct. The pizza was left half-eaten, the movie forgotten about, as Amy kissed Jake on the couch. Desperate to be closer to her, he picked her up and carried her to her bedroom.

He recalls her eager kisses, tasting like beer and pizza, drawing him in. The sound of her moans and the pleasure in her voice as she cried out his name, playing over and over, like a song he can't get out of his mind. The memory of her warm, soft, smooth skin against his, gives him goosebumps. Images of her perfect body, her infectious smile, her gorgeous eyes cloud his vision.

But it's not just the sex that makes him smile. Don't get him wrong, its fantastic. Without a doubt, it's the best he's ever had. He regrets every stupid sex tape joke he ever made about Amy, knowing how wrong he was about her. Though he knows deep down, that every sex tape joke he made, was a miserable attempt at flirting with her.

He smiles because he is finally dating Amy Santiago, the girl he flirted with long before he realized his feelings for her, the girl he dreamt about every night while he was undercover, the girl he refused to admit he wanted to be with even though he was dating Sophia.

And although they've only been dating for two months, he realizes that he loves her. He loves that growing up with seven brothers, whom she refused to let overshadow her, made her just as, if not more, competitive as him. He loves that she is driven and ambitious, refusing to let anything, or anyone, get in the way of her dreams. He loves that she is quirky and nerdy and loves solving problems and cases just as much as he does. He loves, not just how easy it is for him to make her laugh, but also the sound of her laugh. He loves that she double tucks her hair behind her ears, revealing just how crazy about him she is. He loves that she gets jealous when girls flirt with him, or even just stares too long at him, though he knows that if he ever brought this up she would deny it and punch him. He loves that she is sensitive, and sexy, and beautiful, and smart.

But most of all, he loves that she forces him to be the best version of himself. With her, he learns to be more responsible. He gets to work on time, every day. He fills out his paperwork accurately the first time. He wears a tie. He starts to get a handle on his crushing debt. He starts to take better care of his body, eating right and hitting the gym with Terry a couple times a week.

The only other woman he's ever said "I love you" to was Sophia. But now that he's in love with Amy, he knows that it wasn't love with Sophia. With Sophia, it was infatuation, lust. Perhaps, even, he had tried to convince himself he loved Sophia so that he wouldn't have to admit how he felt about Amy.

"What are you smiling about?" Amy yawns, propping her chin up on Jake's chest as she wakes up.

"I love you." He doesn't hesitate to tell her about his new revelation.

"I love you too," she responds, kissing him.

This is why being in bed with Amy is his favorite place in the world. And even though the room changes as they move to new apartments, and the bed itself changes as time goes on, this remains Jake's favorite place in the world. This is where he first realized he loved Amy, where he told her, unafraid of her response, and where she said it back to him without hesitation.


	5. Who Kills the Bugs

_**Who kills the bugs:**_

Jake wakes up to the sound of rain pounding on the window. He doesn't mind though as he looks down to see his girlfriend still sleeping on his chest. Despite the poor weather, Jake's excited. It's the first weekend that he and Amy both had off in weeks and he is looking forward to spending the whole weekend with his amazing girlfriend.

Jake rubs Amy's back and kisses the top of her head while Amy begins to stir.

"Morning beautiful," Jake says.

Amy smiles up at Jake before kissing him sweetly on the lips.

"We have a whole weekend off! What should we do?"

"Sexy timez in the shower?" she suggests.

"Yes!" Jake excitedly agrees, grabbing her hand and pulling her to the shower.

He turns up the hot water and pulls her into him, enthusiastically kissing her. Amy pulls away, looking up at Jake with loving eyes.

"I love you."

"I lo...Holy Shit!" Jake yells out, jumping back.

"What is it?" Amy asks, turning around, immediately spotting what has caused Jake to freak out. Crawling up the shower wall is a big, black spider.

"Scared of spiders?" Amy laughs.

"No, it just took me by surprise. I'm making out with my girlfriend and look up for one second to tell her I love her. I just didn't expect to see a spider," Jake argues defensively.

"Let me take care of it for you," Amy teases, lazily swatting at the spider and killing it. "I'm surprised you need your girlfriend to kill bugs for you Peralta. I thought you were a big, strong man."

"I don't need my girlfriend to kill bugs for me," Jake pouts, not at all amused by Amy's teasing. "I feel emasculated."

"Well I can make you feel like a man," Amy says seductively. She slowly kisses down his chest, until she reaches his hard cock. She waits a second before taking him into her mouth. He moans and thrusts further into her mouth. It's not long before she makes him come.

"Well, I definitely feel like a man," Jake says as Amy stands back up and he pulls her in for a kiss.

A week later, there is an infestation of spiders in the precinct.

Jake and Amy arrive at the precinct together, holding hands, a cup of coffee in each of their other hands. Jake bypasses his desk to give Amy a quick kiss on the lips before their colleagues arrive. As he makes his way back to his own desk, he notices the line of spiders parading across his desk.

"Need me to kill those for you?" Amy jokes.

"What Peralta, too scared to kill a spider?" asks Rosa as she arrives and settles into her own desk.

"Well, last week…"

"Ba-buh-bup," Jake jumps up and covers Amy's mouth before she reveals the embarrassing story to the entire precinct.


	6. Who Insists They're An Awesome Dancer

_**Who Insists That They Are An Awesome Dancer:**_

The first time Jake and Amy dance together, they're undercover. Jake is one wrong move from being suspended. He, Amy, and Captain Holt have entered a dance competition in the hopes of finding evidence to prove Lucas Wint guilty. Jake quickly learns that Amy cannot dance. Despite her stepping on both his feet, at the same time, he finds himself enjoying the intimate moment with her. He can't help but smile as he pulls her in closer, teaching her how to dance. He's disappointed when she mentions Teddy and is positive that his face gives away his feelings. But, she either doesn't notice or ignores it, and he quickly gets over it as he remembers why they are there: to catch Wint. Even though she is the worst dance partner he's ever had, he looks forward to another opportunity to dance with her.

At the Boyle-Linetti wedding, for a second it seems like Jake will finally get that opportunity to dance with Amy again. He tries not to show it, but his heart sinks when Amy reaches for Gina's aunt instead of his hand after telling him she knows someone who wants to dance with him. He plays it cool though. And, the looks that Amy is giving him as he dances with Gina's aunt gives Jake the confidence that he will dance with Amy again.

And then they kiss in the evidence locker and things get a little awkward between them for a little while. It's been just a few days since the kiss and they have yet to bring it up again, choosing to keep things professional between them. They cordially greet each other in the morning, only discuss cases, and avoid being alone together at all costs.

However, they are forced together at Captain Holt and Kevin's recommitment ceremony that weekend when they are seated next to each other at the reception. They're seated at a table with Gina, Boyle, Rosa and Marcus, and the Sarge and his wife. Despite Jake and Amy's best efforts, the conversation consistently enters personal territory, making things slightly awkward for the two partners who are desperately trying to stay professional, despite their growing feelings for each other. Dinner slowly transitions into a dance party. First up from the table to dance is the Sarge and his wife, quickly followed by Rosa and Marcus. It's not long before Boyle and Gina leave the table to dance together, which, despite their sexual history, is a little strange since they are now stepsiblings. A slow song comes on and Jake holds his hand out to Amy. Silently, she takes it and he leads her out onto the dance floor, joining the Captain, their colleagues, and the rest of the guests. Not letting go of her hand, he places his other hand on the small of her back while she places her hand on his shoulder. Silently, they dance for a few minutes.

"Still can't dance?" Jake winces, finally breaking the silence, as Amy steps on both his feet for what seems like the hundredth time.

"Well, I haven't had anyone to teach me," Amy responds, smiling shyly up at Jake. He smiles back down at her. "I actually haven't danced with anyone since we went undercover," she confesses.

"Need a second lesson?" Jake teases, pulling her in closer. He wraps his arm around her back and she hooks her arm around his neck, running her fingers through the hair on his neck. They move slowly together, Jake leading her. Every so often. they look at each other, both smiling. Occasionally, she steps on one of his feet, but he doesn't mind. Instead, he is just enjoying being close to Amy. Eventually, faster songs start playing. Despite the increase in the beat and everyone around them changing their dance moves, Jake and Amy are unable to let each other go, still clinging onto each other as they continue to dance slowly together. Amy nuzzles into Jake's neck and he gently kisses her on the head, enjoying the intimacy.

When they officially begin dating, Jake tries to take Amy out dancing at least once a month. She gets a little better, but it doesn't matter to him. He doesn't like dancing with her so much because she's a good dancer. In fact, she continues to be one of the worst dancers he's ever danced with. But, dancing allows him to be close to her in a way only dancing can allow. The way their bodies move together to the rhythm of the song, the way she clings on to him for the duration of the night, the way she looks at him as he leads her through the dance, gives him butterflies in his stomach and brings a smile to his face.

After he proposes, she suggests they take dance lessons. She is very aware that she can't dance and the perfectionist in her becomes anxious at the thought of making a fool of herself in front of all their friends and family at their wedding. He reassures her that it doesn't matter, but she can't let it go. He enjoys dancing with her every week leading up to their wedding, holding her closely, still leading her. By the time their wedding comes, she has perfected their first dance. But, for the rest of the night, she steps on his toes. He doesn't care though. He's too enamored with his wife.

Jake and Amy share many dances together throughout their life. They keep going to the club to dance during the beginning of their marriage, before Amy becomes pregnant with Seth. They dance all night at the weddings of their friends and families. They share dances as parents of the bride or groom at their kids' weddings. They're even lucky enough to be able to dance together at all of their grandchildren's' weddings.

Jake claims to be an awesome dancer. In comparison to Amy, he is an amazing dancer. But that doesn't matter. To him, skills don't matter. It's about the person he's dancing with. And what could be better than dancing with the love of his life, even if she never learns not to step on his toes?


	7. What Do They Fight Over

_**What do they fight over:**_

"Amy, I don't want to tell you what to do with your life, but, seriously, this needs to stop," Jake pleaded with his girlfriend.

"I've had a rough day," she snapped back.

Jake tilted his head and rolled his eyes. "It's ten in the morning."

"Yeah well, I had to take a cold shower because _someone_ used up all the hot water. That same _someone_ also finished the last of the coffee. And, then, after I spent the morning briefing everyone on two of my cases, the Vulture swoops in and takes them _both_ ," Amy practically yelled at Jake. "I...I just...I need this," she said, holding up the cigarette Jake had caught her smoking on the balcony just moments earlier.

"I'm sorry about the shower and the coffee. And I know there isn't anything I can do about the Vulture, but let me help you relieve your stress. Please stop resorting to smoking. It's so disgusting, not to mention really bad for you." Jake took a step closer to Amy, holding out his arms to embrace her.

"Are _you_ seriously lecturing _me_ about taking care of myself?" Amy sidestepped away from Jake's open arms.

"Ames…" Jake started.

"What? I'm killing myself?" Amy interrupted him, guessing what he was about to say. "It's not like you take such good care of yourself. You eat a very, very unhealthy amount of junk food. You never go to the doctor…"

"Alright, I get it," Jake snapped, cutting her off. "I don't want to argue with you so I'm just going to go back to work." He turned away from Amy and opened up the door, ready to walk back into the precinct.

"Walking away from a fight? How mature? Well, what did I expect when I started dating a man-child?" Amy continued, unable to drop the argument.

Jake slammed the door shut, turning back around to face Amy. "A 'man-child?' Really?"

"You have the diet of a ten year-old left alone in a candy store. Everything is a joke. You're still in debt."

"Crushing debt." Jake said sarcastically, immediately regretting his comment.

"See? Still making jokes. You can't even have a mature conversation." Amy threw her finished cigarette butt into the ashtray and took a step closer to Jake, her fists balled up at her sides. Tears threatened to fall from her eyes, but Amy fought to hold them back.

"This isn't a mature conversation. This is you pointing out everything that you don't like about me," Jake angrily replied. "You're in a bad mood, and you're taking it out on me."

"I'm not taking my bad mood out on you. I'm just tired of always having to be the mature one in this relationship. The one who takes care of our finances, who looks out for our health..."

"Well I'm sorry I'm such a burden on you," Jake retorted. "I thought we were a partnership. I didn't realize that you saw me as someone to take care of."

This wasn't the first time that Jake and Amy were having this fight. They would yell at each other about their flaws until one of them did something funny or made a joke, breaking the tension, allowing them to apologize and make up. They were having the fight more and more often though, and Jake was worried that one day, they wouldn't be able to get past it.

Amy just stood there, staring at Jake.

"Nothing else to say?" Jake asked.

"I...I…" Amy stuttered. A tear escaped, flowing down her face. She quickly wiped it away, hoping Jake wouldn't notice.

"Is this about something else?" Jake asked, sensing there might be something bigger bothering Amy.

As the two stood there, quietly staring at each other, their silence was broken by the sound of the door opening up. "Jakey, we need to go look into a case," Charles yelled to Jake.

Jake nodded, his back turned to Charles as he continued to look at Amy.

"Go," Amy sternly instructed Jake, walking past him and back into the precinct.

Jake let out an annoyed sigh, spinning around. "Let's go Boyle."

…

Jake and Charles' case was tougher than they anticipated, keeping them out of the precinct for the rest of the day. Finally, Jake went home, surprised to find that Amy wasn't home yet. Knowing that cases often kept them at work late, Jake wasn't too worried by Amy's absence.

He made himself a sandwich, sitting at the kitchen counter with a book while he ate. He was so absorbed in his book, he didn't even hear Amy come in.

Jake looked up to a box of nicotine patches and a pack of nicotine gum being slammed on the counter in front of him.

"Shut up," Amy said, walking back around the counter.

"I didn't say anything," Jake replied, turning on the stool and opening his arms up to Amy. She walked into his open arms, throwing her arms around his neck and burying her head into the crook of his neck and his shoulder. As he wrapped his arms around her, he heard her begin to sob and felt his shirt soaking up her tears. He rubbed her back, not saying anything, just waiting for her to open up to him.

After several minutes, Amy pulled back, tears still streaming down her cheeks. "The cigarette this morning was because my dad had another heart attack. It's pretty serious this time."

"Ames," Jake comforted her, pulling her back in for a hug.

"I wasn't ready to face that my dad is sick and I picked a fight with you. I'm so sorry."

"You don't need to apologize Amy."

"I can't keep taking my anger out on you. You deserve better."

"I can't do better than you Amy. I'm a 'man-child' who really struggles to take care of himself. Seriously, what are you doing with me?" Jake laughed.

"Ugh,"Amy groaned. "I'm sorry for calling you a 'man-child' and everything else I said."

"It's fine, you're right."

"No, Jake, I'm not, I was out of line…"

"Amy, stop. We're not going to fight about this, you have more important things to worry about."

"I'm so lucky to have you," Amy smiled as she hugged Jake tighter. "I promise, I'm going to quit," she said, stepping back, gesturing to the nicotine patches and gum.

"Its okay, Ames. I had no right trying to tell you what to do with _your_ body," Jake insisted.

"You're just trying to look out for me. And I appreciate it," Amy reassured Jake. "I love you."

"I love you too."


	8. Who's the Jealous One

**_Who's the Jealous One:_**

Boyle knows Jake better than anyone else. That's why he knows how jealous Jake is of Teddy. In fact, he's more aware of Jake's jealousy than even Jake is. Jake protests, but Boyle knows that Jake is lying to himself.

Initially, he's unwilling to admit it to himself, but Jake soon comes to terms that he wishes he had had the guts to ask Amy out on a date. The more dates Amy goes on with Teddy, the more that Teddy shows up at the precinct, the more Amy talks about how great Teddy is, how much fun she and Teddy have had, the more jealous Jake gets.

When Jake starts dating Sophia, its Amy's turn to be jealous. From the first mention of Sophia, Amy is surprised to find that she's jealous. She is shocked to find that she hates the idea of Jake being with any woman other than her.

She realizes that she chose Teddy because he was the safe choice, even though she had stronger feelings for Jake. When she digs a little deeper, she is upset to realize that she expected Jake not to date while she dated Teddy. She is not proud of her revelation, and it only causes her to be even more jealous of Sophia.

They never admit to one another that they were jealous of their previous boyfriends and girlfriends. As their own relationship begins, they each assume that there is no longer a need to be jealous. How very wrong they are…

After a long, exhausting week at the precinct, Amy is looking forward to blowing off steam at Shaw's with the rest of the Nine-Nine.

"Whiskey?" Jake asks Amy before heading to the bar.

"Of course," Amy replies, pleased at how well he knows her.

"I'll take a rum and coke," Rosa demands.

"Brooklyn Lager please?" Boyle asks.

"Vodka soda," Gina yells after Jake.

"Not made of money," Jake yells back to his friends, though the sparkle in his eyes reveals that the first round is on him.

Amy shrugs off her coat and slides into a booth next to Gina, across from Rosa and Boyle. She glances back to the bar and her heart drops at what she sees. A busty blonde is grabbing Jake's arm, laughing and batting her eyelashes at him. Not wanting to see anymore, Amy turns back to Rosa, Charles, and Gina.

A few moments later, Jake returns from the bar, handing everyone their drinks. He places Amy's glass in front of her as he slides into the booth next to her, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. "I see you made a new friend," Amy says, gesturing to the blonde who is still looking at Jake.

"Jealous much?" he laughs.

"No, I'm not jealous." Amy's not able to even convince herself that she's not jealous.

Gina starts laughing. "Please," Gina interjects. "Of course you're jealous. Amy, you always get jealous when other girls flirt with Jake."

"I do not," Amy protests.

"Oh, you absolutely do," Rosa says, joining the conversation.

"Last night, when we got to the bar after Jake and Charles, there was a woman offering to buy them drinks, and you grabbed Jake and shoved your tongue down his throat like you were marking your territory," Gina says.

"I was just saying hello to my boyfriend," Amy objects.

Rosa rolls her eyes before adding, "Were you just saying hello to Jake when you made out with him in front of my friend Katie when she visited me at work yesterday?"

"We weren't making out, I kissed him quickly before I left to go look into that murder. We always kiss each other goodbye."

"Ooh, ooh! When that women was giving her statement to Jake at the precinct the other day, you kept giving her the stink eye. Talk about jealousy…" Gina exclaims, a little too excited.

"Ok, maybe I get a little jealous of other women..." She turns to Jake to back her up, only to find him trying to hide his laughter. "Really Jake?" she says, annoyed at how amusing he's finding this.

"Yeah, really Jake? You're worse than Amy. Every time a guy so much as looks at Amy, you get territorial," Gina states.

"That is not true," Jake argues, no longer laughing.

"What about last week at the bar when that guy complimented Amy's shoes? You stepped in, put your arm around Amy's waist, made it known that she was your girlfriend," Rosa says.

"Well I'm not just going to stand around while another man hits on my girlfriend," Jake defends himself.

"Trust me, he wasn't hitting on her. He was gay and genuinely interested in her shoes," Gina assures Jake. "You defs were jealous of that guy who was flirting with Amy at Sal's last week though. Didn't you threaten to beat him up if he didn't leave Amy alone?"

"That is not at all accurate," Jake protests.

"You got a little rough arresting that perp who smiled at Amy this morning," Charles adds quietly.

"Et tu, Boyles? Et tu?" Jake asks, hurt by his best friend's betrayal.

"Sorry Jakey," Charles apologizes, at least having the decency to look ashamed at participating in this interrogation.

"This conversation is ridiculous," Amy states, clearly angered at her friends accusations. "Jake and I love each other. We do not get jealous."

"Yeah, I can't believe you guys would suggest that we would stoop so low as to be jealous. I am disappointed in all of you. Especially you Boyle," Jake scolds his friends.

"I know Jake, I'm the worst. I'm so sorry," Charles apologizes.

"Too late," Jake says before standing up and holding his hand out to Amy. "Come on Ames, let's get out of here, we don't need to continue to endure this betrayal from our supposed friends."

Amy takes Jake's hand as he lifts her out of the booth. The two of them leave the bar, abandoning their half-finished drinks and their friends.

…

"Jake, do you think Gina, Rosa and Boyle might have been a little right about our jealousy?" Amy asks Jake when they arrive back at her apartment.

"Of course not. No. No, no, no. Well… maybe they're on to something," Jake responds.

"I was marking my territory last night," Amy confesses.

Jake gasps, clutching he chest as he pretends to be stunned by Amy's confession. "I was angry with that perp this morning when he smiled at you. Though I really didn't mean to be rough with him."

"Is it bad that we get jealous?" Amy asks.

"No, it's understandable," Jake reassures Amy, pulling her into a hug.

"I have another confession," Amy says as she snuggles into Jake's chest. "I was jealous of Sophia."

"Oh Ames, I know," Jake laughs. "I was jealous…"

"…of Teddy. Yeah, you did not hide that well at all," Amy giggles, pulling back to look up at Jake, who is rolling his eyes.

"Alright," he says, drawing out each syllable as he leans down and kisses her on the lips.


	9. Who Drinks More

**_Who drinks more:_**

Captain Holt and Gina are finally back at the Nine-Nine. To celebrate, the precinct heads to Shaw's for drinks.

Amy has a beer when they first arrive. She slowly sips as she listens to Holt and Gina's stories about the PR office. She can feeling herself getting tipsy and is having trouble concentrating on what Gina is going on and on about.

Terry buys them all a second round. She's getting louder as she shares what Holt and Gina missed while they were gone. She sees Gina smirking and knows that Gina's counting Amy's drinks. Amy slumps back in her chair and bites her lip to keep herself quiet.

Amy grabs a third beer to drink while she and Rosa play pool against Jake and Charles. She celebrates each shot with a victory dance. She catches Jake smiling as he watches her and she shoots him a warning look. He sticks out his tongue at her and continues to watch her dance.

Captain Holt and Sergeant Jeffords head home, leaving just Amy, Rosa, Jake, Charles and Gina at the bar. Rosa buys them all shots. Amy throws hers back and steals Jake's, wanting to bypass her pervert stage and move straight to confidence.

They spend more time at the bar and Charles buys them all another round. They are sitting together in a booth, Amy sandwiched in between Jake and Gina. She's elated and can't stop smiling as Jake places his hand on her thigh underneath the table. Amy giggles to herself but avoids looking at him.

"OMG! You two are dating!" Gina exclaims, looking at Jake and Amy.

"What!?" Amy shrieks, panicked. She _is_ dating Jake, but they have been hiding it from their friends. It's not that they don't want their friends to know. It's just that, this is new to them and they wanted to explore their relationship without the input of their friends. "What? How? What?" Amy stammers, wondering how Gina could possibly know that she is dating Jake.

"The six-drink Amy I know is sad. The six-drink Amy sitting next to me right now is giggly and happy. What could make Amy happier than being in a relationship? And obviously you're in a relationship with Jake," Gina explains.

"What do you mean obviously?" Amy asks. She turns to look at the rest of the gang. Charles is overcome with excitement. Rosa looks like she could not care less about Jake and Amy dating. Jake, who is even drunker than Amy right now, is not even trying to cover up his dopey smile.

"You and Jake have been dancing around your feelings for each other for years. Finally getting together with him would obviously make you happy."

"It make me happy," Jake slurs.

"You're not upset that everyone knows now?" Amy asks, turning to Jake.

"Nope, I'm ecstatic. Because now I get to do this." He grabs her face in both hands and pulls her into a kiss. Amy smiles against her lips, wrapping her arms around his neck and grasping at his hair.

"This is gross, I'm leaving," Amy hears Rosa say. When Amy finally pulls away from Jake, she notices that their friends have abandoned them.

"Too much PDA?" Amy questions.

"Who cares?" Jake shrugs as he pulls her into another kiss.


	10. Who is the Protective One

**_Who is the Protective One:_**

Jake does not take Captain Holt's dismissal from the Nine-Nine well. He respects Holt and looks up to him, and when Holt leaves, it's like his father left all over again. The one person that he can count on and go to with any problem is no longer there. Instead, the new Captain is a jackass who keeps trying to get rid of Jake. It's not long before Jake breaks down.

Amy's watching Jake and the Vulture through the Captain's office window. They're talking too fast for her to read their lips but she knows it can't be good. Jake looks furious and the Vulture looks just as smug as ever. She knows that Jake has been fighting with the Vulture a lot. They don't agree on anything and the Vulture's hatred for Jake has caused a lot of problems for Jake. She watches as Jake storms out of the Captain's office and marches towards the evidence locker. Without thinking twice about it, she gets up and follows him.

"Jake," she calls out as she enters the locker.

"What?" he snaps. "Sorry," he says when he realizes that it's Amy. She doesn't say anything at first, just allows him to calm down. He's pacing back and forth, his fists clenched as he huffs. She hates seeing him like this. Jake is a pretty happy guy. He's always joking around and having fun. But, the Vulture knows how to push his buttons and he brings out the worst in Jake.

"Are you ok?" she asks. Jake stops pacing and looks at Amy. He shakes his head and walks over to Amy, wrapping his arms around his waist and burying his head into her shoulder. She returns the embrace, running her hand up and down his back as she attempts to help him calm down. She feels her shirt dampening and knows that he's crying.

"I can't do this anymore Amy," he says, grasping her tighter. "Holt leaving feels a lot like my dad leaving."

"I know," Amy says soothingly. She's trying to be cautious about what she says, not wanting to upset Jake even more, but rather just be there for him.

"Vulture's threatening to demote me again," Jake says, pulling back. He holds onto her waist as he looks at her face-to-face.

"For what now?" Amy asks. In the month that the Vulture has been at the Nine-Nine, he's threatened to demote Jake twice already. The first time for dating Amy, the second time because Jake didn't follow the Vulture's arbitrary protocol change.

"For standing up to him," Jake says. "He says that fighting a superior officer is insubordination."

"What?" Amy asks in disbelief.

"I'm getting real tired of him trying to demote me. Maybe I should just transfer precincts," he says.

Amy can't believe what she's hearing. She understands that Jake is frustrated, but she can't imagine the Nine-Nine without Jake. She pulls him back into an embrace, not saying anything as she consoles him.

"Let's get back to work," Jake eventually says, pulling away from Amy and sounding defeated. She follows him back out to the bullpen.

When 5:00 comes around, Jake starts packing up to leave. "Ready?" he asks.

"I've got some paperwork to finish up. You go ahead, I'll be home in about an hour," she tells him.

He nods and kisses her on the forehead. She watches him leave and once he's in the elevator and the doors close, she calls Rosa, Charles and the Sarge into the breakroom.

"Jake's thinking about leaving the Nine-Nine. He just can't take the Vulture anymore. We need to do something to help him," she explains to her colleagues.

"What if we all threaten to leave?" Charles suggests.

"The Vulture would love that," Amy says. "He hates all of us. He'd love the opportunity to replace us."

"Well, what if we don't threaten to leave to the Vulture. If we go over his head, the higher-ups might realize that there's a problem at the Nine-Nine," Terry states.

"That's a good point," Amy agrees.

"I think we need to make a trip to One Police Plaza," Terry says.

Amy leaves home the next morning before Jake wakes up, meeting Charles, Rosa, and Terry at One Police Plaza to talk to the Chief of the NYPD. By the end of their meeting, the Vulture has been removed from the Nine-Nine and Captain Holt is reinstated.

"Where were you this morning," Jake asks as Amy and the others arrive at the precinct.

"We had something to take care of," she replies. And in perfect timing, Captain Holt arrives out of the elevator.

"It's good to be back," Holt announces. He walks over to Amy and says, "Thank you for helping me get my job back."

"What's going on?" Jake asks, his face expressing elation and confusion at the same time.

"We had a meeting with the Chief this morning. We threatened to quit if the Vulture wasn't removed from the Nine-Nine. I think they finally realized how important Holt is to us," Amy explains.

"That's great. I'm so happy you helped the Captain," Jake says, pulling Amy in for a hug.

"I don't think she did it just for me," the Captain says, giving Jake a knowing look. Jake looks down at Amy confused.

"I've got your back Jake. We all do. I just couldn't stand to work here without you. You're an important part of the Nine-Nine. I had to do something to make sure you didn't leave," she says, smiling at him.

"Thanks for protecting my job," he says, returning the smile and kissing her in front of their colleagues.

…

Jake knows that Amy can handle herself. He's seen her take down perps nearly twice her size. He's seen her render ignorant assholes speechless after they're made rude remarks about her body. And he's not ashamed to admit that she can outrun him. However, that doesn't stop him from feeling like he needs to protect her. When they're out on assignment, he finds himself unconsciously pushing her behind him when he senses danger or taking down perps who've made inappropriate comments to her. He can't help it, he just has this uncontrollable need to protect her.

"I don't need your protection. I can handle myself," she says, annoyed at him after he had pushed her out of the way one day while they're on door duty. They had been talking to a neighbor of a murder victim and it was becoming obvious that the neighbor knew something that he wasn't telling Jake and Amy. As the guy tried to push past them to escape, Jake pushed Amy away and knocked down the guy.

"I know, I know," Jake apologizes as they settle into their desks back at the precinct. "I'm sorry, I really don't mean to do it. I think it's just a habit. I'm used to having to protect my girlfriends."

"Well I'm not one of your other girlfriends Jake," she says, exasperated. "I'm a trained cop. And even if I wasn't, I grew up with seven brothers who taught me how to take care of myself."

"I know, I know," Jake repeats, looking ashamed.

"You know you do this a lot." It's not a question but a statement.

"I know." Jake repeats again. Jake looks at Amy with those puppy dog eyes she can't say no to.

She laughs and says, "Nothing's going to change is it?"

"I'm really going to try, because I respect you and I know you're right." Jake smiles at Amy and gets up from his desk. He walks around to her desk and sits on the edge of her desk, looking down at her. "But, it's going to take a while."

"Well try harder." She tries to be serious as she scolds him but he's moved closer to her and has started poking her stomach and she starts giggling. "I'm being serious Jake."

"I know."

"Stop trying to protect me."

She's pushing his arms away but he's moving too fast. It's obvious that he is over the conversation and just interested in fooling around. Amy rolls her eyes and gives up on the conversation.

He never gives up on protecting her. He tries to be more respectful of her independence and strength, but it's hardwired in him to protect the women in his life. It probably has something to do with his dad leaving and him wanting to protect his mom. Amy grows used to his constant need to protect her and it becomes one of the things she loves most about him.

…

Amy doesn't think, she just acts. She sees the gun pointed at Jake and jumps in front of him. It's not until she's lying in the hospital bed with a bullet wound in her shoulder that she realizes the ramifications of her action.

"Why did you do that?" Jake yells as he walks into her hospital room. He marches towards her and engulfs her in a hug, while being careful to not hurt her injured shoulder.

Amy's feeling tired from her surgery and, despite the pain killers that she's taken, her shoulder still hurts. "I saw the gun pointed at you…" she falters off, unable to finish the sentence.

"I'm a grown-ass man Amy. I could have taken the bullet." There are tears streaming down his face as he tells her off.

"But I couldn't have," she whispers. She's crying now too. "You're always protecting me, pushing me out of the way… Can't I protect you just once?"

Jake is looking at her with such intensity, she's starting to feel uncomfortable. "Not when it means you do something stupid," he finally says.

There's a lump in Amy's throat and the tears are falling harder. "I…I…I lo-"

"I love you too," he says when she's unable to actually get the words out. He climbs into the bed with her and she cuddles up to him. She gives in to the tiredness and allows herself to fall asleep on his shoulder.

When she wakes up, the sun is no longer shining through the window. Her head is resting on Jake's chest and she feels that the pain medication has finally kicked in as she no longer feels any pain in her shoulder. She shifts so that she can see Jake's face and sees that he's already awake.

"Hey," he whispers, kissing her forehead. "How do you feel?"

"I'm fine," she says.

"I'm not," he says, unashamed. "I'm not okay with you putting yourself in danger for me."

Amy's too tired to fight the tears that have built up in her eyes. She's a little comforted by the fact that he's crying too.

"I'm not trying to make you feel bad, or make you cry. I'm just trying to say that I love you and you scared me. I'm so glad that you're ok because I don't know what I would do if you weren't," he continues.

"That why I did it," Amy starts. "I saw the gun. I saw you getting hurt and I was afraid of losing you. I needed to protect you and the only solution was to step in front of you," she explains.

Jake pulls her in closer to him and presses his lips to the top of her head. "I get it. Were our positions reversed, I would have done the same thing. Just please don't do it again."

"I can't promise that. I'm always going to want to protect you."

Amy feels Jake's chest shake as he laughs silently. "Well, I'm always going to want to protect you too," he concurs.

Amy pulls away slightly from Jake so she can see his face. "This is going to be a problem, isn't it?"

"Oh definitely," he laughs.

…

The flu is going around the precinct and Amy is not surprised when she wakes up one morning feeling nauseous. She barely makes it to the bathroom before throwing up. She's sitting on the floor, leaning over the toilet as she hears Jake walk into the bathroom.

"So you fell victim to the flu?" he asks, rubbing his eyes and yawning as he wakes up.

She nods as she throws up again. Jake joins her on the floor, rubbing her back soothingly.

"You should go to work, leave the apartment before you catch it," Amy says to him, still leaning over the toilet.

"Well if you have the flu, I probably have caught it too. It's only a matter of time before I start getting sick. I'll stay home and take care of you," he offers.

"No, I'll be fine. I really just need to sleep. You should go to work," she tells him.

"Are you sure?"

She nods, once again vomiting.

Jake waits until she feels like she's done being sick and helps her up and back into bed. He sets up a garbage pail next to her on the floor and brings her a box of tissues, a glass of water, some magazines and her laptop. She lays in bed, watching him get ready for work. "Are you sure you don't need me to take care of you?" he asks, clearly hoping for an excuse to skip work.

"I'm sure," she whispers, feeling tired.

"Ok." He walks over to her and places a kiss on her forehead. "I'll stop by the drug store during my break and bring you home some medicine."

"Thanks," she says as he watches him leave.

It's not long before she slips back into sleep. She wakes up and looks over at the alarm clock on her nightstand and it reads 12:47. Jake should be home with her medicine any minute now.

She's no longer feeling sick and gets out of bed, heading to the kitchen to find something to eat. As she's rummaging through the cabinets, she hears the key in the door and turns to see Jake as he enters the apartment. He smiles when he sees her and she smiles back.

"Feeling better?" he asks, putting a couple bags on top of the counter.

"Much," she replies, walking closer to Jake and hugging him.

"I got you some things from the store," he says reaching around her to empty the bags. She holds onto him, resting her head on his chest as she looks at what he got her.

"Flu medicine. Crackers, for when you feel like eating. Ginger ale and Gatorade. Candy. Ok, the candy's for me." Amy rolls her eyes. "Cough drops. And I know it's just about your time of the month so I picked you up tampons and Midol."

Amy's heart stops and her eyes grow wide. She always gets her period exactly every four weeks. It's always on time. However, at Jake's mention of her period, she realizes that she is late.

"I'm going to be sick again," she yells as she lets go of Jake and runs to the bathroom. She leans over the toilet, breathing heavily as she panics.

"Ames," Jake calls, running after her.

"No, no, no," she pants, taking deep breaths.

"Ames, are you okay?" Jake moves closer to Amy, rubbing her back. "Do you need anything? Some flu medicine?"

"I don't think I have the flu," Amy responds, tears streaming down her cheeks. She sits down, leaning against the bathtub and looks up at Jake who is looking concerned. "I think I might be pregnant."

Amy watches as Jake's face turns from concern to horror. "You're what now?" he stammers.

"I think I might be pregnant," she repeats slowly.

"Oh, ok." Jake slumps down next to Amy on the floor. She rests her head on his shoulder as he slings his arm over her shoulder, pulling her in closer to him.

"I guess things have been so busy that I didn't realize I haven't had my period in a couple months," she sniffs, burying her head deeper into his shoulder. She can feel him take a couple of deep breaths as they sit there is silence.

"I'll be right back," he finally says, getting up and walking out of the bathroom. She stays, sitting and silently crying. She starts sobbing as she hears him walk out of the apartment, thinking he is freaking out. Trying to collect herself, she stands up, washes her face in cold water and walks back to the bedroom and opening her laptop as she crashes down onto the bed.

She has just started searching the cost of having a child when she hears Jake return.

"Jake?" she calls out.

He walks into the bedroom, emptying a bag full of pregnancy tests out onto the bed. "Before you take these, I just want to say that, no matter what the result, I'm here for you. I love you and if it turns out you are pregnant, I will love that baby too. I'm here for you, always."

Amy jumps up and into his arms, smiling. He's holding her so tightly that she almost doesn't want to escape his embrace. But, she's curious to see if she's pregnant and eventually she lets go. She grabs the tests and heads into the bathroom. She pees on each stick and sets them up on the counter, setting the alarm on her phone for two minutes before walking back into the bedroom and grabbing Jake's hand. He squeezes it, reassuring her that they're going to be ok. The next two minutes are the longest two minutes of her life. Finally, the alarm goes off. Taking a deep breath, she leads Jake back into the bathroom. As each stick reveals that, yes, she is pregnant, she can't help but smile. She looks to Jake who is beaming.

"We're going to have a baby!" she exclaims.

"I know!" Jake lifts Amy up into a bear hug, holding her tightly and spinning her around.

Amy knows in her heart that Jake is going to be a fantastic dad. He takes such good care of her. She knows that he'll be just as protective of their child as he is of her. And for that, she loves him.


End file.
